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Stephen Jackson wants a contract extension, he was "underrated" and "underpaid" during his time in Charlotte (his quotes), and if the NBA's players union wants to keep any sort of public goodwill during a lockout that a goodly chunk of sports fans will still refer to as "a strike," then Players Association boss Billy Hunter needs to buy Jackson his own yacht and six month's worth of gas and supplies, and tell him to find China by going West.

Because this guy is your grandfather's ideal of the worst of NBA basketball, typified. He bounces from small market to desperate small market, making untold gobs of money for an "overrated" and eventually "overpaid" (all quotation marks can be attributed to your humble author) style of basketball that looks good when those flat-footed threes fall in, but falls short everywhere else.

And in an introductory news conference in Milwaukee on Wednesday, just a day and a half before the NBA is sure to lock out its players, the owner of a contract that

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At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.

Dwight Howard: Vince carte planking lol http://moby.to/ownb7g

Kyle Lowry: people I wouldn't ever even think about planking!! I'd hurt myself

Austin Daye: Me and the bros #planking at jack in the box LMAO http://img.ly/5Ds1

Gilbert Arenas: My very last plank...ya boy planked @DwightHoward Porsche..lol pls don't tell him haha http://lockerz.com/s/115153618

Craig Smith: Did anyone see the golden girls episode just now?

You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.

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When the clock strikes midnight and Thursday turns into Friday, the NBA's current collective bargaining agreement will expire. It's a huge story around the NBA right now, because that moment will signal the beginning of a lockout that could stretch deep into the fall and winter to shorten, or possibly even cancel, the regular season.

The players' union, including all officers and team representatives, is currently working hard to figure out proposals that can avoid this worst-case scenario while also providing members with a solid set of rules for a new CBA. It's a tough job that requires attention, commitment, and solidarity.

Kevin Durant is the primary player rep for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unlike many other team player reps, he is pretty bad at his job. From Jeff Latzke for the Associated Press (via PBT):

Durant's week started with a stop in Chicago and he'll next head to Austin, Texas, for another camp Friday and Saturday. Before long, he'll be making a trip to China for the second straight summer.

All of that takes time away from his duties as Oklahoma City's union representative. He even said he "lost track of time" and didn't realize the CBA was set to run out so soon.

"With me being so wrapped up in this and doing the things I had to do this summer, I didn't have the chance to really go to the meetings and sit down and really know how things are going," Durant said.

It makes sense that Durant would be interested in building his media brand and doing outreach events: he's a young superstar looking to increase his marketing foothold and every public event helps him achieve those goals. But that's also a reason why most stars aren't player reps -- their concerns, while important, aren't the same as the majority of union members.

After finally winning an NBA championship, Dirk Nowitzki is on top of the NBA world. But for all the attention he's getting in America, Dirk is not surprisingly much more popular in his homeland of Germany. If Dirk is just a basketball superstar hero here, then he's a national hero there. Or at least as much of one as can exist in a country that has a complicated relationship with nationalist fervor.

So, upon his return to his hometown of Wurzburg, Dirk was feted with a citywide parade and celebration. He rode around in a convertible, waved to the fans, and even addressed the crowd on a balcony like some kind of basketballular pope. Oh, and he also didn't wear sleeves, because they restrict the arms of a champion.

Nowitzki's public speech allowed him one more chance to try singing "We Are the Champions," an event that has potentially become the most ridiculous post-championship tradition since Hakeem Olajuwon started inventing new Taco Bell products in the mid-'90s. For Dirk, the

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No one's saying that getting ejected doesn't stink, Bonzi Wells. One second, you're running around and having a lot of fun giving the opponent the business; the next, ol' Grayshirt Johnny Law breaks out the boot and says you have to watch the rest of the game in the locker room all alone.

But you won't be alone for long. Soon, you'll have seven feet of bald-patch-sporting company. No member of the 2001 Portland Trail Blazers is going to get the gate by his lonesome. Not on Rasheed Wallace's watch.

Call 'em the Jail Blazers if you want. But these guys are doing the time of their lives.

Best caption wins Placebo plus "Final Fantasy," obviously. Good luck.

In our last adventure: INTO THE PAST! Call Kevin Garnett Funkdoobiest, because he's lost in thought.

{YSP:MORE}

cac_pl_kg_hmm_smWinner, Jones6: "To offend verbally or foul intentionally: That is the question."

Runner-up, Dkim5: "Hmmm. Which Euro should I pick on today?"

Second runner-up, JD: KG, deep in thought, considers a bold, virtually

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Sigh.

At least we'll have a chat. 3 p.m., Eastern, just click the jump to take part.

Sigh.

{YSP:MORE}

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There is a basketball court in Germany that is about to blow your mind.

We're not sure, outside of displaying one's artistic integrity, why someone would choose to make a 3D-styled basketball court featuring lumps and lamps and all sorts of weirdness, but we do appreciate the results. Because it gives us an excuse to wonder what it would be like to play basketball on a court like this:

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Or this:

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Or this:

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Whoa, man. Here's a description of the court, from inges idée:

A regulation-sized basketball court was erected on the grove-like forecourt of the school building of the occupational school. The court consists of a soft orange-red tartan covering and two normed baskets and seems to be forced over the grid of the lamps that have been set up. The playable court has been "morphed" as in a 3D program on a computer and looks like the grounds of a rollercoaster, with heights and depths and calm and dynamic zones. The resulting paradox, which moves between a normative set of rules and

LB11The Indiana Pacers' exacting search for a coach, and the team's recent move to swap the untested-yet-talented rookie Kawhi Leonard for a stable vet in George Hill speak directly to team president Larry Bird's mindfulness of his One Last Chance at getting it right. The Pacers made the playoffs in 2010-11 for the first time in five years, and though the roster is stacked with young talent, it really doesn't hint at future third or even second-round appearances to come.

That doesn't bother Bird, who could be in his last year with the Pacers and, presumably, working for an NBA team. After all, if his hometown club can't sway him, who would? Especially with former teammate Danny Ainge deservedly ensconced in Boston.

Two things are certain. One, by his own admission, Bird isn't long for the job. And second, as long as Bird is running the Pacers, he's going to take his time and try to get it right.

From the Boston Globe:

"It's at a point now in my life where I think it might be time to really